Uncommon Urges
by Cassandra's Destiny
Summary: If the Hyuuga characteristic of being impassive and sullen has finally rubbed off on her, he deemed it was too soon. She should have woken him up at all cost, even if it was a personal matter. “But Neji, it's biological in nature.” -Blood Red Trilogy-
1. What If

_Standard disclaimers apply._

**UNCOMMON URGES**

_**By Cassandra's Destiny**_

.

Monday morning and as usual, the entire Hyuuga household was busy making preparations for the week, abuzz with the swapping of news on the progress of each member and statistics on all completed missions. Hyuuga Neji exchanged only brief greetings as he walked to the room directly facing the gardens. Tenten usually had morning tea with Hinata there.

_Tenten._ He grimaced. They both came home late last night from a week long mission, and, at his waking moment, her side of the bed was already made, hair ties taken out of the bedside drawer.

"Hinata-sama," Neji opened the door hurriedly, dismay evident in his tone. Even a man who does not possess the Byakugan can tell the room was empty. Tenten was not there.

Fighting the urge to mutter curses incoherently, Neji took a step back. He had to view the situation rationally. She obviously was not in their room sleeping, not in the bathroom taking a shower, not polishing the weapons she kept under their bed, not bribing the maids to let her do her own laundry, not having breakfast with Hanabi in the kitchen counter, and not having tea with Hinata. What could have happened to Tenten?

There were three possibilities that instantly came to mind.

One, she could have taken on another mission without his knowledge.

_Neji marched out the Hokage's office, confident Tenten was in tow; his train of thought on the things needed to be prepared for the mission completely drowning Tsunade's summon._

"_Tenten? Please stay for a while."_

_Out the door he went, and she tugged on his sleeve. "I'll just be a second. You can wait for me outside."_

_The moment the door was shut, Tsunade brought out a couple of files from her drawer. Slamming her hand on the table, she said, "I have a mission for you, and it has to be proceeding the minute you report back from your mission to Suna with Shikamaru, Lee and Neji." She began. "I don't think I have to repeat myself when I say this mission is confidential, therefore, cannot be made known to your team mates… even Neji."_

_Tenten nodded once in understanding._

So does that mean she's out on a mission alone?

Neji shook his head. She was with him when they reported back to the Hokage, all of them were, saved for Shikamaru, who decided to stay behind and settle personal affairs Neji can only speculate about. Tenten even gave Lee a good night kiss on the cheek before they parted with him, the two Hyuugas entering the compound at midnight and he sneaking under the covers with her slumbering form.

Of course, there still were the two other possibilities.

Two, she could have been kidnapped by an enemy of the Hyuuga family. In a matter of time, they would receive a note asking for ransom, and the whole ordeal with his father's body being sacrificed to meet another clan's demands would happen all over again.

_Tenten gently rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Half-asleep, she stood from the bed and made her way to the kitchen to drink a glass of water. But as soon as she set foot on the corridor and closed the door behind her, a masked man jerked her arm and used a binding jutsu to disallow movement._

_When she became fully conscious of what was happening, it was already too late. Her captor has placed a handkerchief over her mouth, drugging her unconscious in the process._

Neji shook his head again. Tenten is a stronger kunoichi than that; she would never allow such a thing to happen to her. Nevertheless, should they receive a ransom note in the next hour or so, he was ready, willing and able to commit _bloody murder_.

"No one desecrates what's mine," he thought.

Finally, the last possibility was the simplest of all.

Three, she left him.

_She only pretended to be asleep, mastering the stabilization of her breathing as if in slumber. She had Neji to thank for that, of course; all those meditation training with him sure helped. It sure fooled him._

_As soon as she was sure a heavy sleeper became of the man beside her – he hasn't had a single night of undisturbed rest in days, she adds – Tenten untangled herself from the bed sheets. With skills unique to ninjas, she shuffled to the door noiselessly after gathering her essentials._

_Before completely exiting the room, she turned to him, lips curling into a none-too-innocent smile. "Stupid Hyuuga actually believed I was in love with him."_

Now Neji furiously shook his head. This was only possible if: a, Tenten is actually a spy from another hidden village; b, she has a secret affair with another shinobi, whether from the leaf or from a neighboring country; c, she was never really in love with him to begin with or; d, Tenten was, in reality, a guy.

His brows furrowed, lips in a fine line. Tenten grew up in Konoha, studied in Konoha and has pledged loyalty for all eternity to Konoha. Tenten does not have any illicit affairs, open or secret, because he is sure she loves him as much as he loves her. Tenten, too, couldn't possibly have been faking her feelings all this time, for he knew she had been keeping all those emotions bottled up ever since their genin days. Besides, the first time they made love, though not on their honeymoon night, he was one hundred percent certain they really were _making love_.

And no, Tenten is _not_ a guy. No further evidence is needed. He _saw_ the proof, and it was _impeccable_.

He blatantly ignored his urge to smile at the memory. Inwardly smirk at the memory, yes, but grin like an idiot at the very memory of it all while alone in the middle of the Hyuuga halls, _heck no_.

Rubbing his temples, he decided to go back to their room immediately; perhaps Tenten left him a note or something to that effect.

* * *

He went on his knees to check if her weapons were still intact under the bed. Seeing that they were, he walked to the cabinet by the study to make sure all her favorite sharp and deadly objects were still intact. Opening the doors of the case, Neji was bowled over by the weapons he saw, or lack thereof.

A rather tentative knock on the door made him frown. It better not be a new cleaning lady who was too eager to furbish Tenten's beloved collection.

"Come in," he called, not even glancing at his visitor.

"Neji."

His eyes shifted to the owner of the voice. The familiarity he held of it was commanding enough that he paid respects. It was Hiashi.

"Your wife is blowing up what's left of the third training grounds as we speak. At least make an effort to stop her from destroying it completely."

With that, Hiashi left.

Neji watched his silhouette disappear into the halls completely, taking note of how direct and withdrawn Hiashi's statement was. If the Hyuuga characteristic of being impassive and sullen has finally rubbed off on Tenten, he deemed it was too soon. She should have woken him up if she wanted to spar, or if she wanted to have someone listen to her rant, or if she wanted to vent out all her frustrations from the previous mission, or if she just wanted to make things go… boom.

He let out a heavy sigh. If it was a random act for Tenten to blow up the third training grounds, he didn't know. But surely, he was about to find out.


	2. What Was

_Standard disclaimers apply._

**UNCOMMON URGES**

_**By Cassandra's Destiny**_

.

It was insanity at its finest.

Half an hour has passed since he got out of bed and found the other side empty. Worry and anxiety have gotten the better of him so he hasn't had any breakfast, not that it would normally be a big issue. He was a _shinobi_ and shinobi have no control over the time of day they get off from a mission to eat. On most occasions, the three of them – he, Tenten and Lee – would go out to dinner after reporting back to the Hokage. They would have brought Shikamaru with them too had he not decided to stay behind.

"_I've already traveled all the way to Suna, and it'd be too troublesome if I went with you guys then took an extra trip back here."_

Troublesome, he says. Neji was only too sure he'd take that extra trip if he deemed it necessary to make time for _personal affairs_, as he calls them.

They left the gates with four men – three men and a woman, Tenten corrects – and came back a week after with two men and a woman. He knew Lee was about to initiate the decision to eat out that night, but Tenten beat him to it by saying she's too tired and wished to resign for the night. Lee didn't push the matter further. Instead, a smile graced his lips as Tenten rested her head on his shoulder and whispered to him. It was a knowing smile, actually. What the knowing smile was for, Neji wasn't sure. There were a lot of possibilities, but he dare not delve into them at the moment.

Had he been Naruto, or had he possessed Naruto's stomach, his would have growled. Activating his byakugan, he shrugged off any thoughts of food, or relaxation after a tiring mission.

Within his byakugan range, he can see, not to mention hear, Tenten really was making things go… boom.

He deactivated his byakugan and let out a heavy sigh. Clearly, she did not choose to confide in him the reason why she was currently destroying the third training grounds with her explosives and many weapons. Clearly, she left their room even before he regained consciousness after sleep. Clearly, even _she_ failed to eat breakfast before proceeding with her preferred morning activity.

Neji visibly twitched, not that anyone would see. He had other morning activities in mind, but he guessed she didn't quite share his sentiments.

Almost dawdling to where Tenten was, he was left with nothing but his thoughts. Exactly why was Tenten destroying the training grounds?

Four, not three, things instantly came to mind.

One, she was venting out all her frustrations from the previous mission.

_With a slower pace than usual, the three of them were heading back to Konoha. Their mission in Suna was tedious and required a lot from them. Team Gai has always been formidable and full of youthful energy in Lee's words, but they were human still. Worn-out and burned out, they were._

"_A girl? With two guys in a team, you're letting us fight the girl?"_

_Kilometers from the border, they were ambushed by a group of bandits. Feeling she needed the exercise before going home, Tenten asked he and Lee to let her fight alone and stay out of it at all cost._

"_Surely, you have dresses to choose and underwear to fit?"_

_Her arm jerked involuntary, face marked by utter disgust with the mockery in their tone. Without word, she went on her fighting stance._

"_You're kidding, right? Let the guys fight us instead! It wouldn't be much of a challenge if some girl tried to hit us with a purse then end up screaming about her broken nail." More mockery ensued. "Ooh, look at my cute nail polish. Ooh, does this dress make me look fat? Ooh, isn't that guy just hunk-a-licious?"_

_The bandits began laughing to themselves, totally ignoring Tenten who was in for the kill. With a glance to his left, he knew Lee's face screwed up at the ridicule directed towards females. Neji's face was blank, but a part of him secretly flared to life. He wanted to Kaiten them to another planet, to another galaxy should they make another chauvinist remark._

"_You girls are such sissies. Just go file your nails over there or make yourself useful by whipping us something to eat, would you?"_

_Another chauvinist comment: check. But he restrained himself from making a move._

"_Girls aren't biological designed for battle, you know. You can't beat me even if you try. Heck, your breasts aren't even that big!"_

_Her eyes narrowed._

_Seven minutes later, a wide grin was plastered on Lee's face and Neji couldn't help but smirk. They were now walking to the direction of the village and have left behind a group of bandit bastards heavily injured._

_Apparently, this particular girl can kick their behinds any day._

Those idiots got what they deserved, he thought. Although it was possible she didn't get much from fighting them, which went more like doing target practice on wood, he already pleaded with her to let the matter slide. Besides, she knew better than to listen to low life bandits who belittle women.

He wasn't trashing the idea just yet though, but perhaps the other options will prove to be more feasible.

Two, she found out she was pregnant.

"_Neji?"_

_He didn't bother looking up from his reading to know who entered the room. He heard footsteps come closer, and because it was so quiet, the sound of knees meeting the hard wood did not simply pass him by. "Do you think the Hokage will ever relieve me of my duties as a kunoichi?"_

_His head shot up. "What?"_

_He watched her as she pressed her lips in a fine line, fingers fidgeting on top of the table. "If I get pregnant… well, do you think I won't be allowed to go on missions or train?"_

_With a stretch of his hand, he entwined his fingers with hers. He wasn't expecting this question early in their marriage. "When you get pregnant, I think it'd be in everyone's best interest, even Tsunade-sama's, to disallow you from going to missions."_

"_But—"_

"_I don't know how early in the nine-month period would she prohibit you from training though."_

_She opened her mouth as if to speak but decided against it. He tightened his hold on her hand. "It's for the best, Tenten. You don't want to give birth in the middle of the battle grounds, right?"_

_A soft giggle escaped her lips and it was a soothing sound for him to hear. "As memorable as that would have been, I don't think I want my first time to be that traumatic of an experience."_

It's possible she found out she was pregnant, and have come to a conclusion that while she isn't growing big yet, she might as well spend as much time she can with her weapons and explosives.

It would be great news if she did found out she was pregnant. But of course, option two has a twin, and that is the next one.

Three, she did a routine check and found out she still wasn't pregnant.

_They were seated in a line eating Ichiraku ramen. Lee and Gai returned home after a month of training in the woods. Tenten suggested they dined out, and it was Lee's special request they went to eat ramen. According to him, it was one of the things he dearly missed while on his youthful training to let the flames of his youth flare. Unfortunately, Gai has been commissioned outside the village as soon as he set foot in Tsunade's office._

"_I want a boy."_

_It was a random statement. They were eating in silence when she blurted out she wanted a boy._

"_What?" Lee, who was sitting on Tenten's opposite side, was just as surprised as Neji who asked the question._

_Her face was solemn and resolute. "I gave it a lot of thought. At first, I told myself I wanted a girl so I have someone to teach all my jutsus to and maybe help her tie her hair for the academy or something. But then I thought I'd like a boy to be the first one so that if I have a girl next, the boy would protect the younger girl. Not that the girl would be weak, of course. It's just that I want an older brother looking after her."_

_Neji fought the urge to break his chopstick in half. He was guilty, he quietly admitted. He actually thought she was talking about doing a girl first then a boy next. Honestly, the very thought of it was revolting. Tenten with another girl?_

_He was about to say something when Lee began blabbering, wide-eyed and obviously ecstatic. "If you are the mother and Neji is the father…" He trailed off, and Neji took it the wrong way. He wanted to hit him in the head unconscious. Of course he was going to be the father of Tenten's children! _

_"Can I be the godfather? Please, please, please, Tenten? Can I be the godfather? I promise to teach them the importance of hard work and will power. I'll let them train with me if they want, and bring them to the forests for them to be friendly with squirrels!"_

"_Of—"_

_She was cut off by Neji, who has encircled his arm around her waist and answered for her. "We would be happy to have you as our children's godfather, Lee."_

She was excited to become a mother, that's for sure. He can only guess how frustrated she'll be if she finds out she's not pregnant still. Actually, they can wait. There's no need to rush things. After all, they have only gotten married, but if Tenten really wished to be a mother as soon as possible, they can always try again, and again, and again. Neji had no problems with that; Tenten, too, unless…

Four, she was mad at him.

"_Neji?"_

_He didn't know what time it was but he can bet it's around one or two in the morning._

"_Neji?"_

_She tugged on his sleeve and scooted closer. He was too exhausted to turn around and face her. Having had set up camp the night after their chakra-draining mission, he was too exhausted to do anything at all._

"_Neji-kun?"_

_He made a sound from the back of his throat Tenten couldn't make out. He was only half-aware of the honey-coated sensual tone she was using in calling out his name. "Neji-kun?" Blame it to his lost of chakra, but he was even unfeeling when she began drawing lazy circles on his erogenous zones._

"_Neji?"_

_No answer._

"_Neji?"_

_He fell into deep slumber the fifth time she said his name that night._

Damn it, he cursed. What kind of man passes up an opportunity like that? A shinobi who has lost all his chakra in battle, apparently.

He frowned. If she was mad at him, he had to apologize – that, and make offers he knows she can't refuse. Who cares if it's mid-morning? Hyuuga family members know better than snooping around.

Walking closer to the grounds, he saw she was no longer flying on air throwing weapons and explosive tags. Now she was seated gracefully beside a rock, her back to him.

"Tenten?"


	3. Whatnot

_Standard disclaimers apply._

**UNCOMMON URGES**

_**By Cassandra's Destiny**_

.

He received no response. Perhaps she didn't hear him.

"Tenten?" This time his call was louder.

Slow and obviously distracted, she turned to face him, still unmoving from her place beside a rock. "Neji, what are you doing here?"

Was she surprised?

He walked a few steps closer to her before replying. "You were not home when I woke up…" Trailing off, he noticed the smirk on her face. "What are you smir–"

"So you were worried sick about me?"

The sweet innocent tone she used in that line made his insides numb. What was she trying to pull?

"Hiashi asked me to come for you here."

"…"

"So I did."

"Following orders, I see."

There was a tinge of bitterness in her voice now. If it was of anger or frustration, he couldn't tell. "Yes."

A moment of silence passed, and Neji was beyond uncomfortable. Perhaps it was her attempt to make him feel guilty over something he did way back when. Perhaps she was trying to make him pay for ignoring her advances that one night. Perhaps she hated him for not being able to impregnate her pronto. Perhaps she—

"I can't believe you," he heard her whisper.

He looked down to her and saw she was tearing up, eyes obviously with hints of tears threatening to fall.

"I can't believe you, Neji." This time her voice was louder.

What did he do?

"I just… I can't believe you."

She can't believe what? No lie came out of his mouth the moment he saw her that morning. Hiashi really did commission him to see her at once.

A single tear ran down her cheek, a predecessor to the many ones that will fall sooner or later. "I can't believe you, Neji. Had Hiashi not told you to see me, you wouldn't have, I bet. You weren't even worried where I was! I suppose you'd even be _celebrating_ right now if it weren't for Hiashi's direct order to go look for me." Her insides were screaming too, and he could sense it. The confusion in him was growing much stronger though.

Her eyes narrowed, brows furrowed at what she thought was incredulous behavior on his part. "I can't, I can't, I can't believe you! We're _married_, for crying out loud, and you don't even care that I was gone in the wee hours of the morning! Make a little effort, Hyuuga! What if I was sent in a dangerous mission by Tsunade? Alone, even. What if I was not allowed to tell you, would you even bother to ask the Hokage about it?"

Commissioned on a solo mission, an all too familiar thought.

"What if I was kidnapped by bandits or some crazy maniacal nins from another hidden village?"

Kidnapped by an enemy… interesting choice of words there.

Neji shook his head at the circumstances; maybe it was but a coincidence that her thoughts seemed rather familiar to him.

"What if… what if I just decided to leave? If I decided to leave you because I don't love you anymore, or I've been in a passionate affair with some hot guy from… from _somewhere_! If I decided to leave you because I felt you didn't care about me, you'll do nothing?"

"No."

His instant flat-out remark made her stop ranting. "What did you say?"

"I would not choose to sit and do nothing."

By some magical spell, he supposed, the anger in her face was replaced with traces of blissfulness. Because of this, he decided to continue what he was doing. Apparently, whatever it was he did is earning him brownie points from her, and a few more definitely would not hurt. "I would do everything in my power to win you back."

Squatting down so he was almost at her eye level, he fingered her chin and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. "I was worried, Tenten… worried sick."

She smiled.

And Neji inwardly did too. At last the insanity was over.

"Oh, Neji!"

Or so he thought.

"Neji, Neji, Neji!" She wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled him down with her. "You were worried? Really?"

He loves her, yes, but it was all too cheery for him. Tenten was wide-eyed, a sugary smile had graced her lips, and her voice was unnaturally high. "I love you. I am so glad I married such a sweet guy! Neji, Neji, Neji!"

If she utters her name like that one more time, he'll crack open.

"Neji!"

Her over the top movements caused a clanging noise that was loud in his ears. Almost in synchronized movement, they both turned to see what it was that created the sound.

There it was, Tenten's collection of weapons, scattered on the dew-filled grass.

She screamed.

"No! I spent all morning polishing these!"

Neji was not sure if he was going to feel sorry for her or for himself. Was it just a second ago that Tenten was overwhelmingly high?

Then again, it did not take more than ten seconds for her to go from hopeful, to sad, to angry, to happy. Now she was angry and frustrated all over again. What is the world coming to?

"My favorite kunai!"

As she gathered the discarded items in her arms, Neji took the time to examine the training grounds. Hiashi was right; part of it has already gone destroyed: trees had fallen, leaves burned, and ground as if excavated. From the corner of his eyes, he saw her weapons, the ones that did not fall to the ground, neatly lined up on a large rock to her left, all polished and sharpened.

"Tenten, what have you been doing here all morning?"

"What's it to you?" She spat out immediately.

Obviously taken aback, he inhaled and exhaled to calm his nerves. "I already told you; I was worried all morning."

"Worried, what the hell."

The stern come back, was it an attack?

"Tenten, I do not understand what is wrong with you today, but I want you to talk to me about it."

"Really?" Her voice came out more of a squeak than a fierce call. "Thank you for caring, Neji." Now she was fidgeting.

What was wrong with Tenten?

"It's nothing, really."

"I don't think it's nothing."

"Well…" He arched a brow at the sound of a giggle.

"But _Neji_, it's biological in nature."

What was biological in nature?

"I can't tell it to you! It would be embarrassing!" She hit his arm playfully, then covered her mouth to suppress yet another girlish giggling. "Okay, okay, since you asked nicely." Yet another giggle.

He twitched involuntarily.

"You are so adorable when you twitch!" She pinched his cheek, and was now all flustered. "I tweak with my weapons and play with explosives when I…"

She sat down, burying her face on the palm of her hand. "I'm tired."

And Neji understood. "It's that time of month again, is it?"

She nodded once.

"Come on." It was then he understood what was wrong with Tenten. Screw hormones that keep giving him headaches, on a monthly basis too.

Carrying the sullied Tenten in his arms, he whispered in her ear. "Let's get you home."

She locked eyes with him for a good three seconds before throwing a fit. "Why, are you ashamed of me, Neji? Are you taking me home so that the others won't see me with you?"

Ignoring her protests, he continued to walk home with her.

_Hasn't a jutsu that stops women from having these things been invented yet?_


End file.
